USA Basketball 2012: Kobe Bryant's Dream Team Beef (LIVE DISCUSSION)

The 2012 US Olympic basketball roster has been set, Blake Griffin is already throwing down ridiculous dunks in practice, and some are saying it's the greatest squad to represent America ever.

But could this year's Team USA take down the legendary 1992 Dream Team? The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant thinks so, saying when asked by a reporter "it would be tough, but I think we'd pull it out."

Basketball Prospectus' Kevin Pelton isn't so sure. His crunching of the numbers came up with a different result, one where his stats for a 1992 vs. 2012 matchup leaves room for debate. And while "this assemblage of talent narrowly surpasses the 2008 gold medalists as the best USA Basketball roster since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics," he writes, it doesn't mean they're the best team ever.

What do you think? Is Team USA 2012 better than the Dream Team? Could Kobe, CP3 and Lebron take down Bird, Magic and Jordan? We want to hear from you. Let us know what you think in the comments, and if you want to join some basketball greats LIVE via webcam in the discussion, email [e-mail] for more details.

Watch the Huffington Post's Jacob Soboroff live video chat featuring Steve McPherson of ESPN's True Hoop Network, 'Extra' Correspondent Ben Lyons, Muthu Alagappan of Ayasdi and NBA analyst Kevin Pelton.

Image courtesy of Ayasdi/ Muthu Alagappan.

Comments

[sushi27]

10:41 PM on 07/21/2012

Kobe has such an inflated ego - has always dreamed he was replacing Michael Jordan (NOT). The '92 boys won by huge margins cause their defense was awesome. Not even a close match, period.

[stoneyjones]

12:07 AM on 07/15/2012

There is a great article on this @ www.stoneyjones.com. No way the Dream Team would even let these cats/chipmunx put up 80 points.

[Jefry S Suharmanto]

02:08 AM on 07/13/2012

4-2 for 92 US basketball team, why? because there was MJ as a player. No Doubt that he will find a way to beat this 2012 US team.

[Kode]

02:00 PM on 07/12/2012

Don't let athleticism mislead you, the basketball IQ on the '92 squad was off the chart and that matters because of the match up issues on that would be on the court, particularly at point at the center position and with guards on the block. The '12 squad is more athletic and faster but the defensive skill on the '92 squad was grossly underestimated. Their margin of victory was somewhere around 45 points. That wasn't driven by great offensive or really poor competition, that was driven off defense so as good as the '12 squad is, they would have their hands full trying to score against the '92 squad and then they would have their hands full trying to guard a smart team with mismatches all over the floor. No Kobe you wouldn't win gold if the dream team was in the tournament. You'd win silver or bronze because Yugoslavia in '92 was extremely good.

[luchini714]

01:52 PM on 07/12/2012

If Bynum, D12, Garnett, Aldridge, and Ducan were on this 2012 team then there could be a better debate about this. Other than that, no way jose. Even at the power forward position, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin vs Barkley and The Mail Man. I don't think so. Griffin doesn't have a defensive bone in his body and Love will get smacked around harder than a black kid trying to ask his mom to buy him some candy at walmart. It's not even about having Jordan, Magic (he was not even in his prime at the time), bird (back injuries made him almost a non factor in the Dream Team), or CD... its about the bigs on the dream team. Tyson won't cut it. He would get boxed out so fast he would still think he was playing for Dallas.

[Bados]

04:41 PM on 07/12/2012

You spelled Duncan wrong so by your brilliant theory, your entire post is invalid. Even the black kid in Walmart corniness you came up with.

Proofread before you put something on the internet.

[mcstowy]

01:36 PM on 07/12/2012

Neither could beat a dream team from 1972: Kareem and Wilt; Clyde, The Big O, Lenny Wilkins and the Logo, Dr. J, Elvin Hayes, Rick Barry, Havlickek. Bill Walton as your College guy. Then choose from Artis Gilmore, wes Unseld, Dave DeBusschere, Jerry Lucas, Earl Monroe, Gail Goodrich, Spencer Haywood, Connie hawkins, Billy Cunningham, Willis Reed, JoJo White, Dave Cowans. Nate Thurmond etc. etc.

[bradyhull]

10:56 AM on 07/12/2012

NO NEED TO READ MORE.....THE ANSWER......HELL NO!!!!!!!

BY A LONG SHOT!!!!!!

[kizzycali]

08:45 AM on 07/12/2012

Simply Jordan in his prime would not lose. It's just that simple if your team doesn't have Jordan your team would be on the losing end. If its a close game during game time no one did it better. Jordan elevated his game during crunch time to an unbelievable level. If it came down to it where the games on the line your not going to win trading baskets with Jordan he just did it better than anyone else. And you have Bird and Magic just for giggles. Lebron, Kobe, Durant their best players can't Hang with Jordan in shootout with the game on the line. That's even saying it's going to be close which it won't be. Cmon anyone who thinks 2012 team would win just doesn't understand basketball it's ridiculous. Kobe you got to be kidding lol!

[mcstowy]

01:22 PM on 07/12/2012

In his prime, Jordan never beat Bird. In 95 he couldn't beat Shaq.

[OooZzzzz]

08:26 AM on 07/12/2012

Being the elder statesman on that team, Kobe is trying to motivate his team (and himself) to perform as their maximum level so that they can try and outperform their winning margin (1992 Dream Team won by an average of 43.8 points, an Olympic record) because Kobe knows the gold is a lock but knows deep down his team couldn't possibly win in a head to head match-up with the Dream Team because they would be scared; total shock and awe playing against Hall of Famers they grew up idolizing.

And the match-ups? Really?

Tyson Chandler/Chris Bosh in the post vs Patrick Ewing or David Robinson? Scottie Pippen & MJ defending either Kevin Durant or Lebron James? Kobe Bryant defending MJ? Charles Barkley controlling the boards and John Stockton & Karl Malone pick & roll/running the wing on the fast break?

Who's gonna stop Clyde Drexler gliding to the basket, Bird's three pointers and control Magic at the point?

Consider these two things. Original Dream Team Coach Chuck Daly called no time outs during the 8 Olympic games played and in Kobe's favor, Dream Team didn't play against any foreign players who were actual NBA players playing for their home country compared to each team in the Olympics now with NBA players (Dirk Nowtiski, Manu Ganboli etc.)

Kobe knows they can't win but if they can win by a greater average than 43.8 point per game better than the Dream Team, then let the debate begin.

[samknox]

11:49 PM on 07/11/2012

The 2012 team couldn't beat the 1992 team if they played them tomorrow, much less ten years ago.

[MrMafaka]

10:53 PM on 07/11/2012

Dream Team had it on cruise control throughout the Olympics, they could of smoked every team they played by 50, they backed off several times throughout the Olympics so they would not completely humiliate other countries, the DT never even used a timeout, the 12 team will get the gold this year, but against the DT, they would get silver.

[Richard Arvelo]

10:14 PM on 07/11/2012

first of of all whoever states that the 2012 dream could beat the 1992 team is insane. it wasn't only mj , magic and bird. thinking about charles barkely. patrick ewing. david robinson karl malone. they all were big man with a lot skills. 1992 teams only have 1 true center in tyson chandler. chris paul could never hold stockton or dressler. and who can guard pippen or mullin. mullin was a big man with a nice jump shot. kobe could never guard magic. i am a laker fan but this time i don't agree with kobe. his ego is getting the best of him. 1992 in his prime was the best us team ever.

[benmacklinb]

09:20 PM on 07/11/2012

If you do not know the history of basketball, stop speaking on topics about the all-time greats! If you actually think the original "Dream-Team" would lose to this years squad or any other squad, That team had 11 of its 12 players enter the hall of fame! Only Christian Laettner will not make it; however he is on the five best collge players of all-time, which is when he was added to the roster. Charles Barkley is second only to Tim Duncan for greates pf of all-time, and Karl Malone is right behind him. David Robinson and Patrick Ewing are two top c of all-time. Larry Bird is the greatest sf of all-time. Magic is the greatest pg of all-time. And MJ is the greatest sg of all-time and arguably the #1 all-time. Stockton all-time leader is assist. Drexler, top 10 dunker of all-time. Pippen, top 5 defender of all-time. Chris Mullin top 5 shooters of all-time. Chuck Daly, top 5 coach of all-time. Heck, I can take five guys that didnt make the cut and beat this years team. Isiah, he should have started on the team, Dominique, Reggie, Kevin McHale, and Moses. Are you kidding me/ The second best team is not even from the US! It was the Yugoslavian Team before they split there country. Dino Radja, Toni Kukoc, Vlade Divac, Predrag Danilovic, Zarko Paspalj, and the late great Drazen Petrovic.

[hetchinspete1]

10:28 AM on 07/12/2012

Most of your assumptions are correct but your lack of knowledge of NBA history is showing. In 1992 Bird was on his last legs after suffering with bone spurs in his heals for quite a while and suffered from a bad back while Magic was back but still far from his prime.

[Kode]

01:50 PM on 07/12/2012

I'll take an older Magic over CP3 in his prime any day of the week. That's not a knock on CP3 who is a phenomenal basketball player, that's a credit to how good Magic was, the 2012 team would have match up problems all over the floor.

[benmacklinb]

10:33 AM on 07/12/2012

OJ, I know this is you and your are 100 % correct/!

[GunnyJ]

07:23 PM on 07/11/2012

Kobe is stupid. End of discussion.

[motoGpifupleez]

07:20 PM on 07/11/2012

I don't think the 2012 version could take the 1992 version but all there is is conjecture.